Create a peaceful space to pause, and allow yourself to feel God’s presence alongside you, as near to you as your own breath. In following the reflection below, as a church we will draw closer to God and to one another as we grow in faith and deepen our sense of belonging to God.
2 Corinthians 3:1-6 ‘Showing others the Way to Christ’
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely, we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; 3 and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. 5 Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
If only we could draw a map and mark on it all the areas of town, street, village and workplace that are influenced by our church family! I wonder what the map would look like?
Maps give guidance, show people the way they can go to reach their destination. But can God really rely on you and me to point people in the right direction?
Have you ever asked someone the way and the directions have been either unclear or inaccurate? How frustrating! Time lost, blood pressure rising and perhaps tempers fraying! Or perhaps the person asked doesn’t know and says, ‘Sorry, I’m new here and I don’t know ask…they might be able to help?’
Our lives are like roads on a map interacting with fellow travellers. Sometimes we travel long sections of the road together. We have time to share, to influence, maybe even to correct wrong impressions. At other times contact is more fleeting – a brief encounter. But even the briefest of encounters we have had with folk we meet has a profound effect – influence far reaching.
Help us Lord to share even the briefest moment for your sake. Help us to be a part of that map of influence, that others may find their way to you. For you are the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.
Prayer:
Lord, we hear so much about ‘road maps’ particularly ones to lead us out of the pandemic.
It has had so many twists and turns
and people are becoming frustrated and impatient,
but we know that you are always with us,
walking both ahead to guide us and alongside as companion and listener.
Help us Lord to keep calm and put our trust in you
for you will never fail us and ‘will direct our paths’. Amen.
Reflection and Prayer © 2021 Carol Jewell.
Image freely available online.
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All material within this order of worship is reproduced by permission under CCL 1226356